Zen Retreat vs Bancha
Zen Retreat is a Cloverdale Paint color while Bancha comes from Farrow & Ball. Hue-wise, Zen Retreat belongs to the grey family and Bancha to the beige-greige family. With LRVs of 13 and 13, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. At ΔE 19.9, these are genuinely distinct colors — a strong contrast if used together, or a meaningful choice between two different directions. Below you'll find 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Zen Retreat vs Bancha in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Zen Retreat and Bancha in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
Living rooms test a color across a full range of conditions — morning sun, afternoon shade, and evening lamp light all shift how both of these read. At this scale, the choice between them becomes clear in a way that a swatch alone can't communicate.
Bedroom
Bedroom walls are often seen under warm artificial light, a context that shifts both colors from how they look on a chip. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Kitchen
Kitchen lighting tends to be bright and directional, which sharpens contrast and makes undertone differences more apparent. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Dining Room
Dining room light is typically the warmest in the house, which shifts both colors toward the red end of the spectrum compared to daylight. The distinction reads clearly at room scale, making the choice between them concrete.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. Side by side like this, the difference is easy to read — which is exactly why seeing them in a real space is more useful than comparing chips.
Color Details
Zen Retreat vs Bancha Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Zen Retreat on one side and Bancha on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Zen Retreat comparisons
See how Zen Retreat stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Ammonite reflects far more light (LRV 69 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
At LRV 83 vs 13, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (13 vs 6) makes Zen Retreat the marginally brighter of the two.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
Evergreen Fog reflects far more light (LRV 30 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
At LRV 52 vs 13, Mizzle is decisively the brighter choice.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 13, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 27 vs 13, Denim Drift is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reflects far more light (LRV 43 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
Zen Retreat reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 4), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 13, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 44 vs 13, Hardwick White is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
Artichoke reads slightly lighter (LRV 21 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 66 vs 13, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 13, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 83 vs 13, Snowbound is decisively the brighter choice.
Pigeon reflects far more light (LRV 51 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 5-point LRV gap (13 vs 8) makes Zen Retreat the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 68 vs 13, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
Dix Blue reflects far more light (LRV 41 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 13 vs 12), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 45 vs 13, Saybrook Sage is decisively the brighter choice.
Pale Green reflects far more light (LRV 31 vs 13), opening up a space where Zen Retreat encloses it.
Zen Retreat reads slightly lighter (LRV 13 vs 7), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.